Good Government

Good government is a gift from God, and we should be very thankful when we have it. We must understand that government serves a vital purpose in the earth – “for the orderly procedure of man in a fallen world” (Glenn R. Martin, Prevailing Worldviews). As the Apostle Peter put it, government exists “for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” (1 Peter 2:14)

So what are we supposed to do when our government no longer functions in its intended purpose? What is our solution for a government that punishes those who do good and praises those who do evil?

George Orwell once said, “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” When our government flies off course, it is up to the people to re-align it back to the truth.

But that begs another question – who knows or has the truth? The simple answer: God’s Church. The Apostle Paul told young Timothy that the church was “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15).

If God’s Church (not the institutional church, but true believers in word & deed) is the pillar and support of the truth, then God’s Church has the moral/spiritual authority/responsibility to restate, reaffirm, and reapply the truth (God’s design) where it lacks. In other words, God’s Church must get back involved in government, because God’s Church has God’s authority to bring God’s order to a fallen world.

250 years ago the idea that God’s design for government – as a gift from Him to punish evildoers and reward those who do good – was the standard of the day. Yet today, this type of thinking is revolutionary.

So what is God’s church to do today? Relegate the truth down to a common denominator so that everyone can get along, or become revolutionaries standing on the truth? I say it’s time to be a revolutionary. And by revolutionary I mean individuals being salt and light in the culture by restating, reaffirming, and reapplying God’s truth wherever He has placed us. If the church unites on this, in time our government & culture will change.